The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1887-05-26

On, $50 miles, through the castled and pill
Jared rocks of Baraboo and the great pineries
of Black river and the Eau Claire, past the
picturesque Black River falls and the dells Of
the St. Croix into st. Paul. one Of the NUM-
cipal wonders Of the world. An Indian
trading post twenty-five years ago, a small
frontier town fifteen years ago, place of
$1,000 people in 1880. To-day a rushing city
OF over 10000 inhabitants, with public and
private buildings that compare not unfavor-
ably with those Of Chicago or New York.
Over $50 passenger trains daily come in and
go out of its Union depot. One of its daily
papers, The Globe, has a ten story office, with
tower that would overtop the famous one
of The New York Tribune; and every bust
ness is pushed on a metropolitan scale.
Five miles above is Fort Smelling, the most
picturesque post owned by the United States
government, and two miles above the fort
are the Falls of Minnehaba, famed in Indian
legend and in poetry as the scene Of Hia.
watha'S wooing.
Four miles above the Laughing Waters" Is
Minneapolis, the twin sister of st. Paul, and
forming with it the Dual City of the Great
Northwest Each has spread out until their
street lamps meet at night, and they are
practically one city, but they hate each
other with hatred that makes the DEVILS
animosity to holy water seem the tenderest
affection. When the war closed, Minneapo
lis was little more than loggers' and RATS
mems camp at st. Anthony's Falls. 1t was
Incorporated as a town in 1867 In 1870 it
had about 1900 inhabitants, and in 1880 it
had reached $1,000. To-day it has upward of
10000 and is rapidly rushing toward 200,-
600. 1t has the largest Touring mills in the
world, one of them being able to turn out
$500 barrels of flour day, or enough to load
three freight trains of twenty cars each.
Many of its public and private ediices are as
handsome as any in the Union; and its people
are unsurpassed in energy, enterprise, hos
pitality and cheek.
About fifteen miles, or half hours run,
from here is Lake Minnetonka, which has, in
six or eight years, sprung from mere fisher
mems haunt into national If not world wide
note as place of fashionable resort The
lake is eighteen miles long, and in the widest
place about five miles across, but it is so ir.
regular in shape that its shore line measures
over $50 miles Its waters are so clear that
the pebbles on the bottom can be seen at @
depth of ten or twelve feet, and it is literally
alive with game fish. Its bosom is as blue as
the Caribbean sea, and it is dotted with green
islands and promontories. Its shores are lined
with magnificent hotels and summer resi-.
dences With its mirrorlike waters, its peb.
bly, drives and strols, its grand forests OF
long armed oaks and elms and silver birches
its fine hotels and cottages, and its deliciously
cool and bracing air, it is no wonder the
fashionable world of summer pleasure seekers
have sought it out and revel in its loneliness
Several superb steamers ply upon its waters
one Of them being large enough to carry
1900 passengers Gayly painted yachts, will
pennons flying, skim across its ripping sur
face Countless little egg shell rowboats dar
hither and thither, bearing their joyou,
freightage of gallant youths and lovely maid
ems to gather water lilies or lure the gamy
bass and pickerel from their liquid haunts
Carriages and lighter phaetons spin along the
shady roads upon the shores. The witching
strains Of orchestral music are waited over
the waters at eveningtide, mingled with the
sweep of silken trails and the patter Of dainty
feet, excepting time, time, time, in sort Of
Runic rhyme" to the throbbing of merry
hearts and the tuneful melody Of mirthful
lips. 1t i O vista of enchanted land.